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Coming to a town near you…"You
have the constitutional right to assemble,"
Casey Gwinn said Wednesday. "But you do
not have the constitutional right to assemble for the
purposes of cheering on criminal activity." The
city’s public safety committee will review the
proposed ordinance. If approved by the full city council,
spectators would face a misdemeanor charge punishable
by a $1,000 fine and up to six months in jail…San
Diego would become the fourth locality in the state
to criminalize watching street races. Similar ordinances
have passed in Ontario, Los Angeles and in Los Angeles
County in the past 18 months…
If we aren’t careful, a few select
idiots will cause irreparable harm to our sport…
SportRider, December 2002
Having something to do with being brought
up in pink tights and black patent leather shoes, the
do-good side of me embraces positive role models. Their
guidance makes a profound influence on others attitudes
and behaviors. BGR shares riding philosophies with the
DFW chapter of TSBA. Credibility comes with responsibility
and I praise the leadership of Brian Whelan.
In this chronic aversion to law and order being demonstrated
in the Metroplex over the last few months, Brian takes
TSBA on the higher road. He states, "As the elected
leader of this pack of hooligans and the D/FW chapter,
it's my duty as Prez to request that members refrain
from posting threads or replies that fly in the face
of the club's philosophy: namely running from the cops.
To those out there who are reading this thread as a
member or guest, I have to state for the record that
the TSBA does not suggest, nor condone running from
any LEO. Our underlying motto has always been: You play,
you pay. We speed. It's a fact of life. What we don't
want is folks thinking the entire pack of riders will
high tail it as a matter of policy. We do not. Please
help me out on this one, and keep this topic of discussion
to private e-mail. As I stated earlier, I do NOT encourage
censorship of discussions on this board, but I will
from time to time, step in to remind members what we
would not like to see on this board." Brian –
you’re the man, you deserve the respect TSBA exemplifies
in this city.
Yes, Virginia, some law can ride, too…Touted
as the world’s fastest police officer, Clarke
Paris, a motorcycle officer for the Las Vegas Police
Department and a former Pro Stock Bike racer, is looking
to return to the quarter-mile next year after recovering
from recent back surgery. Paris, who formerly rode for
Ben Hatcher's CTS team, was preparing to debut a new
bike when he was hit by a drunk driver while riding
his police motorcycle last year. Paris suffered a broken
back and underwent surgery to remove a disc and have
a titanium plate and two rods inserted in his spine.
During his recovery, Paris wrote a book, How To
Get Out Of A Traffic Ticket, which features
many unique and humorous excuses used by traffic violators
and interesting facts about drunk and impaired drivers.
Speeding of a legal nature found Collin
Edwards at Motorsport Ranch in Cresson hosting
the CMRA finals in backwards fashion. Coming
out of Big Bend carrying a full head of steam, riders
experienced three decreasing radius, downhill, off-camber,
right-hand turns…That was cake for BG Rider John
Orchard taking the podium in the Middleweight Grand
Prix category, a 2nd in SuperTwins and a couple of 3rds
for Unlimited Grand Prix and Middleweight SuperSport,
in addition to his team success on Saturday…I don’t
think the term Amateur is appropriate anymore?!? What
a way to end the season! Congratulations to all of our
Blue Goose representatives Steve Breen, Joseph
Browning, Shane Carter, Joe "Officer"
Chatham, Ken Cyr, Greg Fowler, AC
Freeman, Chris Headley, Matt Maschmann,
Kevin Mays, Chuck McCoy, Paul O’Brien,
John Sblendorio, Albert Schilling, Edward
Walker, and our webmaster, Scott Millspaugh
in his first formal attempt to run the high numbers.
To honor the riders, the CMRA awards banquet
will be held December 7th in Fort Worth.
High numbers of the female persuasion
rolled into West Virginia for AMAs Women and Motorcycling
Convention. Taking the 1915 lead by Effie Hotchkiss
(the first woman to ride across the US) 600 attendees
representing 41 states, Canada, England and Norway and
all sides of motorcycling – cruiser, sporttour,
sportbike and dirt participated in the July event. Ten
years ago, the industry overlooked women riders. The
AMA is recognizing the importance of female riders as
the fastest growing segment of the industry. Three notable
trends were derived of the conference defining the psychographics
of the woman rider…
- women ride, they don’t trailer
- brand hopping is common, finding a
bike that fits is an important concern
- women’s motorcycle apparel is
severely under represented and under-marketed.
Sport Rider Magazine has picked up on
the apparel issue featuring an 8-page section entitled,
"Gal Gear" complete with vendor listings.
After reviewing the latest and greatest gidgmo-gadget
hysteria for Kawasaki’s Moto GP new chassis
4-stroke and Honda’s CBR600 F5 with its
complete shock and rear suspension linkage self-contained
within the swingarm…the innovation trophy goes
not to the ride, but the rider accessory. Rags, industry
term for clothing – that’s the big news. Seems
Fieldsheer is trying to make you one with your
gear. Their X.Pack Jacket features a removable on/off
backpack with zipper attachments designed to be zipped
directly to your jacket or worn separately. Just don’t
pack anything you might need until you plan on removing
your jacket.
Fox started the wear-it-everywhere sportswear
casual craze. Now Icon clothing is following
suit with apparel, helmets and footwear. Call it a sort
of street-wear with bike flair. Recon pants are baggy
jeans with armor in the knees, stretch panels and vented
crotch for comfort – cost $80. Not to be left behind,
FMF Racing has joined forces with No Fear
apparel with plans to open a line of company stores
by Christmas.
The 18th annual Lake of the Pines
camping weekend/North Texas Norton Owners Association
(NTNOA) event was complete with vintage British and
European motorcycles, fire jumpers and Big Cypress tall
tales. If takes months of volunteer hours to bring hundreds
of members together from five states. Thanks to Bob
Speer, Dicky Hunter, Dave Edinger
and the guys for a years efforts of planning, scheduling,
organizing and FUN! Next year, I’ll bring the boat,
provided the alligators aren’t anywhere to be found.
Keep in mind you will have one more event on your roster
of rallies for 2003 as the LoneStar Biker Bash
will offer a bike show just two weekends before LOP.
Stay posted for more details.
Another great British motorcycle is being
resurrected. Vincent Motors USA, now a San Diego
company is bringing back the legendary Vincent motorcycle,
unveiling five prototypes. Vincent motorcycles got its
start under the name of HRD in 1924 in England, when
Howard Raymond Davies and E.J. Massey began building
motorcycles. In 1928, Philip Vincent acquired the HRD
trademark and renamed the company Vincent HRD Company,
Ltd. It was in 1949 that Vincent dropped the HRD from
its logo to avoid confusion with the Harley-Davidson
brand in the US, and when hence known as The Vincent.
In the 50's, a small home cost about $1500, as did a
Vincent motorcycle, and in 1955, the company was forced
to close due to financial problems.
In its day, the Vincent was the world's
most exclusive and technologically advanced motorcycle.
The Vincent Black Shadow set a land speed record in
1948 of 150.313 mph. Throughout its history, the Vincent
set the standards by which modern motorcycles have been
judged. Vincent Motors USA is focused on designing,
manufacturing, and marketing a modern Vincent motorcycle,
consistent with its tradition of legendary performance.
James Parker (known for his RADD single-sided front
swingarm design, seen in the production Yamaha GTS)
and Detroit's Roush Industries (Roush Racing: NASCAR)
were contracted to design and engineer the new motorcycles.
Vincent and Honda are currently in negotiations for
a formal supply agreement for the purchase and sale
of Honda's 1000cc, V-Twin, water cooled, dual cam, four
valve, fuel injected 130 hp RC51-based engine.
If all the classic bike hoopla and LOP
wasn’t enough excitement, Bob Speer turned
around, repacked, regrouped, dropped the dog off with
me and headed to the border. He along with John Rodriguez
along with the group #1 will dual sport Copper Canyon,
Mexico. Dual Sport bikes offer the best of
both worlds. This is the segment of motorcycling where
dirt and street meet. These workhorses can run down
the highway and jump off onto forest trails and more
difficult terrain. Most dual-purpose motorcycles have
single cylinders and require relatively little maintenance.
They range from small to large engine sizes and weight.
Smaller machines are air cooled, while the larger bikes
are liquid cooled. Most models have electric starts,
high ground clearance for trail riding, have larger
gas tanks and are mechanically less complicated. Matt
Maschmann will lead a second group off the beaten
path beginning October 18th.
Since
we are talking dirt…With more than 20 teams, representing
countries from Australia to Venezuela, the Federation
Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM) stated that the
Motocross of Nations would not be held in the
US, but rescheduled in Bellpuig, Spain on October 19-20.
The company Dorna Off-Road (DOR), promoter and holder
of the rights for the Motocross of Nations, informed
the FIM about serious problems affecting the organization
of the Motocross of Nations originally scheduled to
take place in the newly constructed venue, Competition
Park in San Jacinto, California, on September 28-29,
2002. The race was scheduled to be held on land belonging
to the Soboba Indians, and some sources indicate that
race organizers did not receive written consent from
the Soboba Indian leaders to hold the event on their
land. The US will not be represented. "It’s
unfortunate that we cannot field a team," said
Scott Hollingsworth, AMA Pro Racing CEO, "but the
time frame on the relocation was too tight. There are
numerous schedule conflicts for our riders, and the
costs associated with sending a team, support staff
and equipment to Spain at such a late date was also
a factor." Hollingsworth noted that the absence
of a U.S. team is especially disappointing since the
American squad withdrew from the 2001 event after the
events of September 11.
More
dirt action coming your way from Village Creek MotoCross
Park, November 2-3. Hey Randy Skinner, Dave
Fletcher and Andy Reynolds – I could
use your pictures!
The
rumors are true…Jeremy McGrath switched
to KTM and is gearing up the new orange 250sx for an
8th supercross title. KTM is going public. With its
engine assembly facility expansion, improved events
and promotions, improved parts availability at the dealerships
and a new R&D center – maybe their timing is
good.
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